"Lion & Lamb" by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski

In Lion & Lamb by James Patterson, a star football quarterback is found shot and killed in his car the day before the big playoff game.  It is up to Detectives Cooper Lamb and Veena Lion to find out who did it.  This book is pretty good.  I liked the storyline, lots of action and some humor.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Housemaid's Secret" by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden is a good mystery with twists and a great ending!  I enjoyed this book and liked the short chapters that flew by.  It's about a housekeeper who gets mixed up in trying to help a woman escape from her abusive husband, but finds out what she thought was all wrong.  This book is filled with deceit, relationships, and vengeance.  At one point, nothing made sense but as I kept on reading, it all became clear.    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/5/24:
In The Housemaid's Secret by Frieda McFadden, Millie needs a job in the worst way.  When a very rich man offers her a job as a housekeeper, she takes it.  The only thing is that she cannot open the door of the room that his wife is in.  Will she open that door?  What would she find?  Millie has secrets of her own that better not get out.  This book is really, really good with a fantastic storyline!  It kept me turning pages right to the end.  Must read this one!  I loved it!  What a great book to start off the new year.  (5++ stars)

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"A Far Wilder Magic" by Allison Saft

In A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft, Margaret wants to kill the Halo aka a fox, and claim all the fame and the money that goes with it!  However, according to the rules, she cannot do it herself.  She needs a helper.  Who will she get and will she be the one to kill the fox?  I thought this book was pretty good.  I enjoyed the two main characters and the Trouble, the dog, storyline was good.  I also liked the ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"We Must Not Think of Ourselves" by Lauren Grodstein

We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein is historical fiction.  When Hitler took over, he locked a number of Jews in what became known as the Warsaw Ghetto.  Adam is offered the chance to join people who are writing about this so that people will know what is happening.  This was a hard book to read because of the terrible things these people went through.  I liked the interviews the best.  It's an amazing story!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"5 Things to Pray for Your Church" by Rachel Jones

5 Things to Pray for Your Church by Rachel Jones is a handy little book The Church at West Creek gave to its congregation for Christmas.  I pretty much read it all through in one sitting, but it is more of a reference book to be used daily.  There are 21 general themes with five specific things to pray about for each that are based on passages of scripture.  What a great little booklet with which to start off the New Year.  I look forward to using this with my husband when we pray together and also seeing how our church becomes even better as a result of the whole congregation using this book to help increase the prayers for our church.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Mastering the Mental Game of Pickleball" by Joe Baker

Mastering the Mental Game of Pickleball by Joe Baker is a book I devoured.  This is full of tips for choosing the right shot, shot placement, strategies, league play, recreational play, focusing and more.  I took notes as I read and ended up with a list of 25 tips for improving my game.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their pickleball game and win percentage.  I found it to be very interesting and practical.  I look forward to implementing the tips and suggestions in this book.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Beneficence" by Meredith Hall

Beneficence by Meredith Hall is about the Senter family who owns a dairy farm in Maine.  They are very close and happy until tragedy strikes and their 14-yr-old son dies, leaving them with only a younger son and a daughter.  Most of the book is centered around how each blame themselves and how time brings healing.  I plowed through this slow moving book because I cared about the characters, although it was a sad story.  I liked the ending and was glad when I finished it.  There are questions at the end for a book club discussion.  I wouldn't recommend reading this one though.  (Karen's review, 2 stars)

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"The Nature of Fragile Things" by Susan Meissner is Thrilling Historical Fiction

In The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner, an Irish woman comes to America to marry a man she has never met and knows nothing about.  That is just one of the multiple storylines in this book, all of which were interesting.  You will be engaged and get lost in this wonderful book.  There is lots of action and plenty of twists and turns.  Do not miss this one, it's a must read!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review Jan. 23, 2022:

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is the story of a mail order bride from Ireland coming to San Francisco to marry a widower and become a mother to his 7-yr.-old daughter shortly before the great earthquake of 1906.  The full story unfolds slowly, but there is enough action along the way to keep the reader interested.  Sophie answers Martin Hocking's ad for a wife and mother because she is not happy living in bad conditions in New York and wants a home and a child to love.  Martin wants a wife to keep up appearances and to care for his daughter when he's away on business.  It is a loveless marriage purely of convenience.  This book is very good!  It is about family secrets, fraud, friendship and love.  (5 stars)

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"Just the Nicest Couple" by Mary Kubica

In Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica, Jake and Nina are married and often fight.  Jake walks out after the last fight one night and goes for a walk.  He runs into Nina's friend, Lily, but she has no idea what went on.  Jake has not been seen since.  What is going on?  This book was a bit drawn out, but I liked it a lot.  It has a good storyline, characters I cared about, and a surprise ending.  It could have used a bit more action though.  (Gerard's review, 4.75 stars)

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"The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer Is a "Feel-Good Book"

In The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, a well-known children's book author has not written a book for a long time.  He makes an announcement that he will write one book only, and will hold a contest to see who will win the book.  What is the contest?  Who will win?  

This is a feel good book with a good storyline and characters I cared about with action and a great ending.  What more can you ask for?  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Unwilling" by John Hart is One We Both Liked!

The Unwilling is a great story about the French family.  The father, a detective, an over protective mother whose favorite son was killed in the Vietnam war; Jason, the second oldest who was dishonorably discharged from the marines, an ex-con who just got released; and the youngest, Gibby, who is a senior in high school.  When Jason and Gibby spend a day together against the mother's wishes, the girl Jason was with gets murdered and Jason is the primary suspect.  Gibby sets out to find the real killer and trouble ensues.  

This was a fast-paced page turner for me!  I was drawn into it right away and liked both brothers.  I thought the family dynamic was quite interesting and the story line was thrilling.  The only thing I did not like about this book was the couple loose ends that did not fully get resolved.  Still, I loved the journey and had a very hard time putting it down.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 12/7/23:

This book is about three brothers born to a detective.  The first brother goes to Vietnam and gets killed.  The second brother, Jason, goes to Vietnam and is a killing machine.  He comes home and has an incident that puts the cops on his trail.  The younger brother, who has been protected by his overprotective mother, sets out to help his brother clear his name.  LOVED ALL THE ACTION!  Who knew who is good and who is bad?  GREAT ENDING!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Sky Over Rebecca" by Matthew Fox

The Sky Over Rebecca by Matthew Fox is a light, enjoyable middle grade novel.  Kara sees a snow angel by the lake but no footprints.  She decides to investigate and there starts the adventure of her life.  This book has a good storyline, good action and good characters with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Show Me the Bunny" by Laurien Berenson

In Show Me the Bunny by Laurien Berenson, Melanie agrees to organize Easter festivities.  When a woman falls to her death at the house where the Easter hunt is to take place, cops think it is no accident.  This is a good quick read.  It has a good storyline with lots of dogs.  Give it a chance.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Intern" by Michelle Campbell is a Fantastic Legal Thriller

The Intern by Michele Campbell is one of the best legal thrillers I ever read!  This is about a Harvard intern, Madison, to a crooked Judge, Kathryn Conroy.  Both women find themselves in compromising positions through no fault of their own.  I got into this book right from the start and kept turning pages very quickly!  The plot was well developed, the characters interesting and believable, suspense galore and a great ending!  The judge even had a cat that actually had a role in the book that I enjoyed very much. I loved this one and highly recommend it!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 10/26/23:
In The Intern by Michele Campbell, Madison gets a dream job--an intern for a well-respected lady judge.  The judge likes her, and Madison feels she is on a fast track to where she wants to go.  However, soon her dream job turns into a nightmare!  This is a good read with good characters and an easy-to-follow storyline.  It has good action too in the second half of the book.  (5+ stars) 

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"The Wife Who Knew Too Much" by Michele Campbell

In The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell, Tabitha fell in love with Connor when she was a young teen girl but did not last.  Jump forward 15 years and when she sees Connor again, her old feelings return.  There are warning signs that she should stay away, but will her heart win over her brain?  This book was just okay for me.  The storyline was okay and I did love the main character; however, it was just too predictable.  (Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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"None of This is True" by Lisa Jewell

In None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, Alix does a podcast and meets Josie who has the same birthday.  Josie tells Alix she is on the verge of doing something very different in her life and would love it if Alix would do a podcast about it.  Alix does podcasts about successful women and is popular.  Alix is not sur about this, but decides to go ahead and do it.  Soon she will be sorry she ever met Josie!  

I thought this book was very good.  Alix and Josie are both great characters and the storyline is really good.  This is a wild ride and I loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Power Couple" by Alex Berenson

In The Power couple by Alex Berenson, Rebecca and Brian decide to go to Europe for their 20th wedding anniversary with their kids.  Unfortunately, their daughter is kidnapped and they must work together to find her!  This book was okay, but went back and forth in time which broke up the story for me.  I liked the twist at the end, but feel this could have used more action.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"The Only One Left" by Riley Sager is Amazing!

The Only One Left by Riley Sager, is the best book I've read this year by far!  It starts out a bit slow, but boy, does it pick up!  It's about Kit, a caregiver, who is hired to take care of a paralyzed person who was suspected of murder and lives in a big spooky house at the top of cliff.  Kit is hired soon after the previous caregiver mysteriously left.  This book has it all--mystery, suspense, action, devious characters, creepy fathers and lots of surprise twists with a great ending!  This was crazy good!  Loved it and highly recommend it.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)   

Gerard's review 10/2023:

In The Only One Left by Riley Sager, Kit becomes a caregiver for Lenora Hope.  It is believed Lenora killed her parents, but no proof was found.  Kit is afraid after a few days but needs the money so stays on the job.  She is soon to be a lot more frightened!  This book is amazing!  It has lots of twists and turns with an easy storyline to follow.  The characters are great too.  If you think you know how it all plays out, trust me, you do not!  Must read this one!  (5++ stars)

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Bored to Pieces with "Agatha of Little Neon" by Claire Luchette

Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette was a terrible book! It dragged along going nowhere. Had one funny part when the sisters' car broke down but that was it. It was all just about one nun's personal journey that led her to leave the sisterhood. I thought this was one of the worst, most boring books I ever read. I only finished because I thought something would happen and it would get better, but it never did.  The only good thing about it is that the chapters are very short so you can read just a little at a time because a good stopping point is never far away. (Karen's review, 1 star)

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"Hemlock Island" by Kelley Armstrong

In Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong, Laney gets an island as part of a divorce settlement which she rents out to make money.  She gets a call that something strange is going on at the island and she better come down to look.  Soon she discovers that she has a big problem!  This book started off okay, but went sideways near the end.  I never cared about the characters at all and I thought the ending was very strange.  (Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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